Forever and For Always
by XPhantomzAngelX
Summary: Modern Day EC What if Erik and Christine had known each other since they were both little? They were separated.When they were reunited, would new feelings be ignited? Would they remember each other or would new problems arise amongst them. Read and review
1. First Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

Forever and For Always

**A/N Okay fellow Phantom lovers…its time for a new story…This is of course, and E/C fic, that's the only thing that I ever write. The idea for this story came to me as I was taking a walk through nature. (Don't ask…I am very random) Anyways…I hope that you enjoy this and remember… this is a MODERN-DAY PHIC! So the characters can talk slang and can wear jeans and have ipods and stuff. All the original cast members are keeping their original names…(ex. Christine Daáe not Christine Day or whatever some people say, Raoul de Chagny not Raoul Chandler, and Erik Destler, I am not sure if that is his real last name I am just read that in other phics. Anyways…without further a due…let my story begin! (hee...hee…that's from phantom.. "Let my opera begin!" I am turning into him more and more everyday. Enjoy! Make sure you review or I will eat you all alive:-) Just kidding!**

**Okay I am really sorry but Raoul still had a snobby rich family, Erik was adopted, and Christine still has her mother and her father died. They will all be older later in the story…but for now just let them be young and in kindergarten.**

Chapter 1- First Meeting

"Christine….Christine…get ready for school! You're going to miss your first day of school!" Mrs. Anita Daáe had been trying to get Christine to wake up for almost twenty minutes to get ready for school; but all that could be heard were Christine's faint cries of,

"Mommy I am coming! I am just putting my skirt on!" or "Mommy I am just putting my hair up."

But when Anita had come up to see what Christine had been doing all that time, she found her daughter on her bed, in the same position that she had been in the night before.

"Christine darling, why aren't you getting up?"

"I am scared."

In all the years that Christine had been on this earth she had been a very brave and adventurous person: up until this point in time.

"How come sweetheart?"

Anita knew she wasn't going to get an answer right away but asked her anyways.

"Well……Um….."

"Well what?"

"I…I…." Christine had reached her breaking point. "What if no one likes me? What if they all think that I am ugly and dumb and tease me and make fun of me and stuff like that? What if…"

"Shhh…..you are the most beautiful, most smart girl I have ever seen.

Christine sniffed. "Really?"

"Really."

Christine's mood quickly changed. It went back to the perky, happy attitude her mother used to know.

"Okay then let's go to school!"

Christine's mother helped Christine get ready for school and walked her to the bus stop.

**(Okay I don't know how to explain this but Erik is mature for his age, like he uses big words and stuff..)**

"Erik Charles Destler! Get up this instant!" His 12 year old brother Michael loved to tease Erik with his mother's voice.

Erik was no idiot; he knew it was his brother.

"Mike…shut-UP! I am coming!"

"Jeez Erik, what's bothering you."

"Nothing." He mumbled.

"That means something is wrong. Tell me."

Ever since Michael's family adopted Erik when Michael was 10, Erik had been very secretive about everything. He never liked to talk to people, besides Michael about his mask.

"Well…do you think that people are going to make fun of me?"

"Why would they make fun of you?"

Erik sighed. He wished he could be different than everyone else. He wished that people wouldn't give him a look of disgust whenever they walked past him. The one thing that fluctuated himself from the rest of the world: his face. As Erik lifted up his mask from the table,

"I wish I didn't have an ugly face."

"Come on dude…you'll be fine, just don't listen to what everyone else says. I'll tell you what…about I walk you to the bus stop?"

"Okay…"

Raoul de Chagny was not at the least worried, He had awakened at five-thirty in the morning just to get ready for school. The maid in his house had fixed him up a breakfast of pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries on top. Raoul's family was the richest family in the neighborhood. They lived in a colossal mansion with four floors, not including the basement. Raoul's mother and father were always busy at work. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a nurse. They never had time for him. Their maid, Diana was the closest thing to a mother that Raoul had.

"Raoul, would you like it if I dropped you off at the bus stop?"

"No, that's okay Diana, I know my way."

"Okay darling, have a great first day at school!"

"I will."

All three children made their way to the bus stop.

"Good bye Christine!"

"Good Bye Erik!"

"Have a great day at school." Both of the spoke in unison.

"Hi!" Christine said, what's you guy's names?

Raoul and Erik both looked up.

"Huh?" they both spoke at the same time.

"I said…What are your names?"

"Ummm……"

"I am Erik."

"And I am Raoul."

"I am Christine Daáe, nice to meet you."

By that time the bus came. All three children stepped on the bus. It was going to be a long day.


	2. Old Fears, New Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does or partially Andrew Lloyd Webber…I honestly am not sure…let's just stick to Gaston Leroux because he thought of it first.

Forever and For Always

**AN Okay people I just finished watching Phantom of the Opera for the 50th time since I got it. I think that its beginning to wear out, because when it gets to All I Ask of You it skips. (Only for that part) But I cleaned the CD and its working again. I am not sure how long it is going to be. Don't worry…there is no fluff in this chapter. There is a little cute babyish fluff, but I don't think so. Review pretty please with sugar on top.**

**One last thing…The school that they go to is K-12, so they will stay in that school for the rest of the story….until they graduate that is.**

Chapter 2-Old Fears, New Friends

As Erik Destler, Christine Daáe, and Raoul de Chagny entered PS 118…they knew they were going to school. What they didn't know was that the next thirteen years of their lives were going to be the most important ones. In that school of course.

For Christine…school was exactly what she had dreaded it would be. No one would talk to her, probably because she was too shy to talk to anyone else. It was one of the worst days of her life.

As for Erik, he was getting attention all right, just not the type that he wanted. Just as he feared, people commented him about his mask. By about midday, Erik wanted to sit in the corner and cry.

Raoul was feeling quite the opposite of the two. Because of Raoul's outgoing and friendly attitude toward people, most kids took an immediate liking to him.

At lunchtime all the kids gathered onto the playground to eat their lunches. Some sat in the grass, others sat on the blacktop, and others sat at tables.

Christine spotted a tree that was far away from everyone else. She sat there and ate in silence. In the distance she saw a boy, wandering around. He had probably been rejected by everyone else, just as she did. Christine decided she could at least invite the boy to sit with her. So Christine walked up to him.

"Hi!"

The boy looked up. Christine noticed he was wearing a mask. It didn't really bother her that much. The whole day Erik had stuck to being as silent and unnoticeable as humanly achievable. But he couldn't possibly ignore this girl, who was actually was attempting to be nice. So he answered.

"Hi."

"My name is Christine Daáe. What's yours?"

"My name is Erik. Erik Destler."

"Erik, would you like to join me for lunch?"

Erik couldn't refuse the offer. This was the first time all day that someone was actually trying to be nice to him.

"Sure."

Christine led him back to the tree. They sat there for a good five minutes in silence before Christine began to start a conversation.

"What's you're favorite color?" Christine knew that her questions were very cross. She just wanted to get to know this boy.

"Blue."

After a couple of minutes, Erik started asking her questions. They were learning more and more about each other with each passing minute. They even shared a few laughs. It was turning out to be a not-so-bad day for both of them.

In the distance, Christine could see a couple of people coming over to their tree. It was Raoul de Chagny and his band of friends.

"Well looky here you guys, the masked kid finally got a friend…a girlfriend!"

One of the other kids spoke up,

"Hey Christine, I'd be careful…there might be a monster under there!"

Erik's face begun to turn red with humiliation as the other kids had begun laughing at him. Christine had enough of this. She stood up and started yelling at them.

"Just leave him alone! Just because you guys have nothing better to do doesn't mean you have to pick on him. So leave my friend alone! Or else!"

Erik cleaned out his ears just to see if he was hearing correctly. If he understood correctly, then Christine had just called him her _friend_. Erik just grinned. He was having the best day of his life.

Raoul and his friends quickly shuffled away. Christine was laughing. She didn't mean to scare them. She just wanted them to stop being so cruel to Erik.

"Umm…Christine?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just say that we were friends?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

"No, it's just no one really likes me."

"Oh. Well I do. I am your friend. I like you."

"Really?"

"Really."

And that my friends, was the beginning of a great, great friendship.

**Opinions Please! I have a really good idea for a couple of chapters ahead. Your reviews give me so much inspiration to write! Constructive criticism is allowed. I am not a baby. I can handle it.**


	3. Forever and For Always

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN Okay there is really nothing to note before the chapter. Just enjoy and read carefully. It is a little bit confusing at the beginning of the chapter because there is a time change. I think you can handle it. Oh and one more thing! Please review! My goal is to get at least 1 hit per every 20 hits. I normally get more than that but; it makes me feel good to get reviews for all of you people on fanfiction.**

**The other day, someone Private messaged me and asked, "Wouldn't Christine ask anything about Erik's mask?" Well what I responded was that Christine probably noticed it, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings by asking him about his mask since everyone was teasing him about it. The ditty that is said later in the chapter, I did not make up, I found it on this website that makes little sayings for your profile.**

**E/C Fluff Forever! Review!**

Forever And For Always

Chapter 3- Forever and for Always.

The next three years went by faster than you could say "hi." Erik and Christine had become extremely good friends. One year, Erik and Christine's mother and Erik's parents built a tree house in the big oak tree at Christine's house. Everyday after school, Erik and Christine would sit in the tree house for hours, laughing and sharing secrets. Occasionally, they would go to Erik's house. He was a very good pianist. He was nothing compared to Mozart, but he could play simple melodies. Sometimes, if Christine was in a good mood, she would sing along. Erik would tell her that she had a lovely voice. Christine would always blush. Overall, they shared many good times together.

Another thing that never changed was Raoul. He always picked fights with Christine. He seemed to have an interest in Christine. He called her a variety of names such as retarded, stupid, ugly, fat, something along those lines.

Now Erik and Christine were almost half way through third grade. Christine and Erik were closer than ever. Christine had noticed that in the past month, Erik had seemed gloomier than usual in the past month. Christine had decided to confront him that day after school.

"Erik, what is wrong? You have been like this all month!"

Erik shifted uncomfortably before saying,

"Okay I'll tell you, but you have to promise to tell no one!"

Christine nodded in agreement, and her eyes widened with curiosity.

"I'm moving."

Christine gasped. It was as if the whole world had stopped.

"You're moving? To where?"

"I am moving to Florida."

"That's no where near California Erik! You can't leave Erik, you can't!" Salted tears ran down Christine's creamy complexion.

"I'll miss you Christine." It sounded and looked pathetic. But both the children had their arms wrapped around each other, crying into each other's shoulders.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. My mom said that you could come over to say goodbye if you want."

Christine sniffled.

"Okay."

The next day Christine came over. Erik's house was completely empty, except for a few remaining boxes. The moving van was in the front of the house. Erik had spotted Christine and ran over to her.

"Christine, Christine!"

"Hi!" She hugged him hello.

"I have a present for you."

"Really?" Her face lit up.

Erik nodded his head and pulled out from behind his back a long grey velvet box. Christine opened it. Inside of it was a gold necklace, with a diamond-encrusted heart in the middle. Engraved in the center of it, were the words. _Forever and for Always._

"Erik, it's so pretty! Where did you get it?"

"Well, when my grandma died, she gave it to me. She told me to give it to someone who was very special to me. And that is you."

Erik and Christine both blushed at his words of compassion. With hesitation at first, Christine leaned in and kissed Erik's exposed cheek. They both just stood there, awestruck and amazed at what had just happened. Erik knew that he had to go but told Christine before turning around and said,

"As long as you have that necklace, you won't ever forget me. And every time you look at the necklace, know that I am thinking about you too."

"Bye Erik."

"Bye Christine."

Christine fastened the necklace to her neck as she watched Erik and his family drive away. Then Christine began to recite a ditty that her mother taught her.

"_I wrote your name in the sand, but a wave washed it away. I wrote your name in my hand but it washed off the next day. I wrote your name on a paper, but I accidentally threw it away. I wrote your name in my heart and forever it will stay."_

A single tear shed down Christine's cheek. Christine grasped the necklace in her hand and kissed it before whispering to herself,

"I won't ever forget you Erik. _Ever._"


	4. A New Life Without You

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN Okay now is the time you've all been waiting for…Chapter 4 of Forever and For Always. I am on spring break right now so I think I will be able to get finished with this fic and my other fic, Time Goes By within the next 10 days. Okay here we go. Please don't kill me.**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 4- A New Life Without You

Another second, another minute, another hour, another day, another week, another month, another year without Erik. Christine counted. She was waiting for the day that he would come back to her. She never forgot him. She never took off that gold chain that he gave her. A feeling of loneliness came over her. Christine had no one to talk to Sometimes, Christine would forget that Erik wasn't there and would call out his name as if he were right next to her. Raoul would hear her talking to herself and would call her mean names again.

Despite those incidents in fifth grade, in the sixth grade, Raoul de Chagny began to show kindness to Christine. He would pick up her pencil whenever he dropped it. Would smile at her in the hallway and would occasionally come sit with her at lunch.

Now that Christine was in the seventh grade, Raoul finally did what he had been daring to do for a long time. He asked Christine to the dance.

She knew that she couldn't refuse. She didn't have a date to the dance. Raoul was handsome. His wavy blonde locks grazed his shoulders and his pearly white smile could make any girl swoon. But Christine had a voice in the back of her head saying, "This is no the right thing to do." But ignoring that little voice in the back of her, mind she became Raoul's girlfriend and went to the dance with him.

Sometimes, Christine would wonder what would have happened if Erik had stayed here. Would she be going to the dance with him? Would she have been his girlfriend? Would he be handsome like Raoul? Even though he wore that mask, Christine never said anything because it never bothered her. He was always cute to her. Still, she never took the necklace off.

Now that she was going out with Raoul, she was treated differently. Everybody talked to her in the hallways, some kids even threw out her trays. She liked this treatment, but yet wished that she could share it with Erik and not Raoul.

One thing that she never allowed Raoul to do was kiss her on the lips. Yes, it sounded odd, but she didn't want to waste that kiss. She wanted that kiss to be with someone special, someone who she would remember when she was older, so she could tell that story to her children. She let Raoul hug her, kiss her on the cheek, do whatever he wished as long as he didn't kiss her on the lips, or take it any further.

Christine felt guilt. She wished she could like Raoul the way she wanted to. But it was if her heart was screaming out for another. But he was across the country. She normally didn't go to the late-night parties that Raoul and his friends went to. Not that Raoul told her what they were doing, but she knew that they just got drunk and did drugs. She didn't want to be like that. On those occasions, she would sit in the tree house quietly. She was waiting for Erik. She was waiting for him to climb up the rope ladder and tell her that he had moved back. In the summertime, she did that almost everyday.

Secretly, she wished for him to come back for her and confess his feelings for her. She wanted him to be the one taking her to the dances, and for him to be the one hugging her and putting his hand around her, and kissing her on the cheek. But you don't always get what you want, right?

Christine's life was not the same without Erik. This new life without him just plain sucked.

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Florida was nice in a way. The weather was almost eighty-five degrees everyday. The hot sand beaches were good to just lie on and chill out for a while, despite the heat. Anyone else would have thought it was a dream land. Erik hated it.

His neighborhood, he had to admit was pretty nice. The neighbors occasionally came over for parties. They never dared to say anything about Erik's mask. They were too afraid to say anything honestly.

School was a living nightmare. Constantly people taunted him about his face. Even the geeks wouldn't allow him to sit with them. So Erik sat in his solitude next to the garbage can to eat his lunch.

He too missed Christine. Everyday he cursed himself for forgetting to tell Christine his address and phone number. He didn't know anything about Christine. She might have moved too for all that he knew.

Like Christine, Erik wondered what it would have been like if he had stayed at PS 118. He wondered if they would be friends. He wondered what Christine looked like. He had always thought that Christine was pretty. But he would never know of that face again.

He wished that he was still in California. He wished that Christine could be with him. He wished that he could hear her sweet voice again. He wished he could feel her lips against his face again. But you don't always get what you want, right?

Erik's life was not the same without Christine. This new life without her just plain sucked.

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**AN – So what do you think? Did I capture each character's feeling enough? Did I cause enough angst for the characters? Is the story good or bad? Where should I take it? Your opinions please!**


	5. Surprises

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does. I don't own Hollister and Co. I have no idea who owns it, but I am just saying that I don't.

**AN Okay people…Chapter 5 of my story Forever and For Always…Not much to say…just read and review. 4500 hits!**

Chapter 5 – Surprises

Seventh grade was over now. The summer was over now. Christine was going to be in the eight grade. She was getting ready for school. She dressed simple. She put on a pair of jeans and a shirt that she had bought from her favorite store, Hollister. Grazing her neck was the necklace that Erik had given her. The diamonds shimmered in the light.

Christine was about to walk out the door when her mother came over to her.

"Have a nice day at school Christine, and…" Her mother ceased talking when she spotted the gold chain around her neck. She knew whom it was from.

"Christine, is that the necklace that Erik gave you five years ago?"

"Umm….well…yes."

"Do you ever take it off?"

"No."

Christine's mother began to laugh.

"Christine, did you notice that our next door neighbor's house was for sale?"

"No."

"And did you notice that just about a week ago it was sold?"

"No."

"And do you know who bought it?"

Honestly, Christine was too busy moping about wishing that Erik was here to realize what was going on in the world.

Silence. That was the sound that filled the air. Anita was waiting for her daughter to catch on. It took her a minute, but out of now where she screamed,

"OH SHIT! ERIK"S BACK!"

Christine bolted up the stairs; she applied an extra application of lip gloss made sure everything about her appearance was impeccable. Then she rushed back downstairs.

"Mom…why didn't you tell me?" A grin was plastered on Christine and Anita's faces.

"I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"I just…OH MY GOD! He's back!"

Christine grabbed her bag and rushed out the door, actually looking forward for school for once.


	6. More Surprises

Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN -I really can't thank all my reviewers because I wrote this chapter ten minutes after I wrote chapter five. So enjoy!**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 6- More Surprises

As Christine passed the Destler residence, she could already see that they were already moving in. She could see that the mailbox had their last name engraved on the mailbox. Erik wasn't at the bus stop, but Christine figured that his mom or dad had probably dropped him off at school.

Christine could barely contain herself as she sat down on the bus. The bus seemed to be going extra slow today. Even though it was raining, it seemed like a perfect day for Christine. Nothing could ruin this day for Christine.

When Christine arrived at school, she was ecstatic. She ran over kindergarten and first graders, not even bothering to say sorry. Christine rushed into her homeroom and sat down. Her teacher, Mrs. Brown, gave Christine her locker number and combination. The locker was very old and it wouldn't open. Eventually she got it opened and began unpacking her stuff. There was a boy next to her, obviously having locker trouble too. He was getting extremely frustrated.

"Damn locker! Why won't you just open."

Christine, felt the need to help the boy out. He probably was new around here, so he didn't know that the lockers in the school were all old and broken. Christine had experience with them.

"Do you need some help?"

The boy looked up. Christine knew right away who it was. The white porcelain mask covering the right side of his face made Christine know right away who it was.

He had looked a lot different from the last time Christine had seen him. His dark raven hair had grown a lot. It almost touched his shoulders. He was extremely tall. Christine was only five foot four. Erik towered probably five inches over her. The exposed half of his face was no longer rounded and childlike as when they were little, but shaped and tough. Christine thought he actually looked quite attractive.

At first, Erik did not know who the girl was. He saw the chain on her neck. Christine! She had changed so much. Christine's curly brown locks that once leveled her shoulders now were flown down to the middle of her back. Everything about her was beautiful. She was beautiful.

"Are you Erik Destler?"

"It depends…are you Christine Daáe?"

They both laughed and embraced each other. They hadn't done that for a long time.

"Erik you have no idea how much I miss you!"

"The feeling's mutual." Erik flashed a grin at Christine.

Christine was dizzy. She felt weak in the knees. This was turning out to be the best day of her life. Suddenly, she felt an arm snake around her waist. It was Raoul de Chagny. Raoul greeted her.

"Hey Christine, where have you been all summer?"

"Umm…I was busy…sorry…." She was terrible at lying. Raoul just never thought to notice it.

"Oh before I forget…Raoul this is my old friend, Erik Destler. Erik, this is my boyfriend, Raoul de Chagny."

_Boyfriend._ The word cut through him like a knife. Why would Christine want to go with him? What did she see in that boy that she could possibly like?

"Raoul, I will see you later. I have to go to class."

"Okay. Are you doing anything after school today Christine?"

"Sorry Raoul. Concert Choir tryouts are after school on the first day of school, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Well then I'll see you when I'll see you."

After Raoul walked away, Erik began to speak again.

"How long have you two been together for?"

"About a year."

"Oh."

Well I have to go to class. Who is your teacher?

"Mrs. Brown."

Christine's face glowed.

"Great, you're in my class. Come with me. I'll show you where the classroom is."

Christine felt terrible. So long, she had waited for the moment that she would see Erik again. When she saw his face, she had felt butterflies. When he looked at her face, for that spit second, she could tell that he was looking at her with love and care. She had missed him so much. Christine was so silent; sorting out her thoughts that she forgot Erik was there.

"Oh Erik! We have so much to catch up on!" Christine grasped Erik's arm. Erik flushed.

"So…you still like to sing?" Erik wanted to start a conversation.

"Yes, I love singing! It's my favorite hobby!"

"Some things never change."

"Yeah." She said dreamily looking up into his hazel eyes.

"You had a beautiful voice." Christine blushed at his compliment.

"You did too…you should come try out for the Concert Choir after school with me."

"Okay." He would do anything to get to spend more time with Christine.

"Oh here's the room."

They both entered the classroom. For Christine today was full of surprises, and probably more to come. For Erik, this was the best day of his life. For both of them, their wishes were granted and they couldn't be happier.


	7. Rules and Regulations

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN- I hope you enjoy this chapter. I want to get straight down to writing. Thank you to all of my reviewers. I also don't own the song, "Top of the World". I think some guy with the last name Carpenter does, but all I am saying is that I don't own it.**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 7- Rules and Regulations

The day went pretty smoothly. Christine spent most of her time with Erik, updating him on everything that had been going on in her life ever since he left. Erik had explained that how his life had been in Florida.

Christine was enjoying her time with Erik. It was probably the best time she had had since she was in the third grade. Occasionally, Christine would catch his stare. She would get lost in his hazel eyes. Erik would catch her though and she would turn crimson and change the topic.

The end of the day came fast. Erik and Christine headed over to room 124, the music room. The teacher, Mrs. Teresa, was going to audition each and every student in the classroom. There had to be at least one hundred students. Erik and Christine sat down in seats parallel to each other. The teacher finally spoke.

"Welcome…my name is Mrs. Teresa, and I shall be your Concert Choir teacher. I am sure that many of you know, that in order to enter Concert Choir, you must sing a song, of my choice. Only twenty students will make it to the Choir. I only want the best of the best. On the occasion which you do make it to Concert Choir…you will be situated into four groups. Boys will be separated into two different groups. Baritone, which is for boys with a deeper voice, and tenor, which is for boys with more of a falsetto…these are the groups that boys will be put into. Girls on the other hand will be separated into two groups also, soprano and alto. Girls, if you are a soprano, then you have a very high voice… which is capable of hitting an _f _or higher. If you are an alto, then you have a low voice. It is not low enough to be a tenor, but is not high enough to be a soprano. The song that you all will be singing is a simple one. It is a duet, so I will be asking a boy and a girl to come up and sing it together. If you don't know the words, I have music sheets. I will choose who sings together, so don't be complaining if you don't like who you are partnered with."

Everyone laughed…especially Christine and Erik. Never had they heard a person talk for such a long time. Christine had timed it…A whole five minutes! Obviously, Mrs. Teresa didn't find this so funny.

"Ok…I'll play it your way. Mr. Destler and Mrs. Daáe, you come up first.

Christine was still laughing but she managed to fit in a sentence.

"What song are we singing?"

"Top of the World."

Erik and Christine exchanged looks. They didn't know what the hell they were singing.


	8. Prodigies

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does. I also don't own the song…Top of the World…I don't know who owns it though.

**AN I know that most of you don't like reading the lyrics of songs…but just this once, read the lyrics…it might help understand Christine and Erik's relationship a little bit better…Thanks to all of my reviewers… I hope you enjoy chapter 8.**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 8- Prodigies

Mrs. Teresa played the song through one time, allowing Erik and Christine to understand the rhythm of the song. Mrs. Teresa checked to see if Erik and Christine were ready. Slowly, Christine began to sing.

"_Such a feeling's coming' over me There is wonder in most everything I see Not a cloud in the sky Got the sun in my eyes And I won't be surprised if it's a dream._"

Erik was in awe at how beautiful her voice sounded. It seemed that everyone was. It just added to her beauty. Erik sang his part of the song.

"_Everything I want the world to be Is now coming true especially for me and the reason is clear It's because you are here You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen."_

Christine felt that feeling in her stomach again when Erik began to sing. His voice was amazing. He was amazing. She only wished she could tell him how she felt. Finally, they had reached the chorus of the song.

"_I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation and the only explanation I can find…Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around, your loves put me at the top of the world."_

Five years seem to have gone by so fast. To Erik, it was only yesterday that he had been leaving this place for good. And now he was back. He liked Christine. Maybe he even loved her. But he would never get the chance to that. There was always interference between them. And it always seemed to be the same one…Raoul de Chagny. Erik's thoughts were interrupted once again by Christine's pristine sweet voice.

"_Something in the wind has learned my name and it's telling' me that things are not the same in the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze there's a pleasing' sense of happiness for me."_

Christine felt really bad. She wanted to be with Erik more than anything. But she couldn't just leave Raoul on the spot. Even as she was singing now she felt that queasy feeling in her stomach when she looked at Erik. It made her dizzy…especially when he looked at her.

"_There is only one thing on my mind, when this day is through I hope that I will find…that tomorrow will be just the same for you and me, all I need will be mine if you are here."_

As ironic as it was, Erik really meant what he sang. It was odd how things just seemed to be working out for him today. They began to sing the bridge of the song.

"_I'm on the top of the world looking' down on creation and the only explanation I can find Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around Your love's put me at the top of the world."_

Everyone just stared in shock. Then they all burst into applaud.

"Well...It seems that we have two musical prodigies in our Concert Choir this year."

Christine squealed. She was so excited she accidentally jumped into Erik's arms and hugged him really tight. Everyone was watching. She turned an extremely bright shade of scarlet and sat down in her seat.

Do you remember that queasy feeling Christine was feeling when she was singing? Well Erik and Christine were both feeling it now. Big time.


	9. A Regretful Spy

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN- So here I am at my computer with nothing to do. I just typed Chapter 8…but what the hell…might as well type chapter 9 too…right? Review and please enjoy……! This chapter is super short! Sorry…**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 9- A Regretful Spy

Embarrassment that is what Christine felt as she walked home with Erik. Not only had she embarrassed herself, but probably Erik too, in front of the whole school. She felt like an idiot. He probably didn't feel the same way that she felt about him. He probably liked her as a friend. Christine would never dare to ask though. She didn't want to make a fool of herself.

Erik's was in high spirits. True, Christine had hugged him in front of the whole school. True, she had embarrassed them both. But Erik couldn't have been happier. Today he was reunited with one and only friend and love, she hugged him not once, but two times, and on top of that, he gets to spend every Tuesday after school with her for Concert Choir. Out of no where Christine began to cry. Erik put a hand around her shoulder and said,

"What's wrong Christine?"

"I am so….sorry…I don't…know what came over me…I was just so happy…that we had both made it in and…and…umm… and well that's really not…err." Christine was having trouble explaining to Erik why she had done what she had done, without really telling the reason why she had done it.

Erik just smiled. Whatever her reason was for embracing him in front of everybody, she obviously wasn't going to tell him. He handed Christine a tissue and gave it to her.

"Thanks." She said.

"No problem." Christine had gotten lost in his hazel eyes again. Her vision was so blurred that she could barely see, but he still looked as handsome as he did before…in her eyes.

Their faces were so close right now that they could have easily kissed. Christine's head began to tilt towards Erik's. They were going to kiss.

As excited as Erik was that he was about to kiss Christine, he couldn't do it. Not when she was with someone else. It wouldn't be fair. Erik didn't want to ruin her virtue, as well as his. So he pulled away.

"Christine…this isn't right…what about Raoul?"

"Oh…" A hint of disappointment hinted in her voice.

"Well…I'll see you tomorrow Christine."

"Okay…"

"Bye…"

As Christine walked into her house, Erik silently cursed himself for not kissing her. He had the perfect chance…they were alone…no one would have ever known…except for them of course that they had kissed. Christine is probably mad now. Erik looked up at the sky, hoping to find an answer. Instead, he found a tree house. Up in the big oak tree in Christine's yard…he climbed up the rope ladder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tree house. When he reached the top though, he had found more than he had bargained for.


	10. A Maybe Not So Regretful Spy

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does. The Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Phantom of the Opera, Romeo and Juliet are none of my books. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee, The Phantom of the Opera was written by Gaston Leroux, and Romeo and Juliet was a play, written by William Shakespeare.

**AN- Oooohhh…I left you with quite a cliffie there. Don't worry…it's not WHO he sees…it's WHAT he sees. I won't leave you hanging. I just watched Phantom of the Opera, and I hate the fop even more. I don't bash him in my phics though, because I know some people who stop reading phics, if Raoul is bashed. Sorry, I don't want to get myself carried away.**

**-----NOTE---- The date in this fic is currently September 8, 2006…so figure out how old Christine is when she is writing the diary entries**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 10- A Maybe Not So Regretful Spy

The tree house looked pretty much the same. The only difference was that it had a couple of new rugs and a couple of battery powered lamps. He turned them on. The stereo was in the same corner. The CDs were all piled up in a neat stack. Erik laughed, when he saw the bear that Erik had given Christine for her ninth birthday. He would have never thought that she would have kept it. Erik's small electric keyboard was stacked up against a wall. It seemed as if Christine had never touched any of Erik's stuff. It was almost as if she didn't want to forget him. One of the last things that Erik noticed was that pictures of him were taped up on the wall. There must have been one hundred of them. Some of them were Christine alone, some were Erik alone, but a lot of them were Erik and Christine together. She had taken the time to write the dates and setting of each and every picture. She must have really cared about him.

Another thing that Erik noticed that there were barely any pictures of her and Raoul. Christine had seemed uncomfortable when Raoul was around her. Maybe she didn't like him…even if they were together.

Christine also had many books. She had all the classics…The Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Phantom of the Opera, Romeo and Juliet, and many others. That was another thing that Erik loved about Christine…she was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met.

As Erik was rummaging through her books, he found a whitish pink book, bounded by red ribbons. Engraved on the cover was the word _Diary. _A thrill of excitement came over him. He knew it was none of his business looking through her diary…and Christine would probably not want him to. But what if she had written about him in it? What could she have to say about him? The suspense was killing him. So he opened it up to somewhere in the middle. The date was September 24, 2005. Erik skimmed through it. He saw his name quite a few times in this entry. So he decided to read it.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was a very confusing day for me. I really don't have anyone to talk to so, I will talk to you. Do you remember Raoul de Chagny, that boy who used to tease my friend Erik Destler in the younger grades? Well he has been acting very strange towards me ever since the seventh grade started. He has actually been being nice! Imagine that! Well today…he asked me out. I didn't know what to say. I mean, I like him. He's okay, but I just don't like him like him. I can't like him like that, not when I like someone else. But I will never be able to see him again. I haven't even seen since I was in third grade. His name is Erik Destler._

_You're probably thinking, how does she like him when she hasn't seen him for four years? Well, it's hard to say, because he could have changed since I last saw him. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if he stayed. Would he be handsome? Would he be smart? I always keep him in the back of mind. I actually used to have a crush on him when we were in third grade. I thought he was handsome. I never really cared about his mask. What mattered to me was more of what he was like on the inside. Although if ever did come back, I am sure that I would begin gushing about him again. It would be like falling in love all over again. I'll talk to you soon._

_Love,_

_Christine_

Erik was shocked…and at the same time amazed…and at the same time happy. He was feeling far too many emotions for one person to handle. So she did like him! Her feelings could have changed since then though. He knew it was wrong but he had to come see what she wrote about him. Maybe she didn't like him anymore. So it was settled. Next Tuesday after Concert Choir, he would sneak up into the tree to see what she said about him. And that was final.


	11. Secrets and Invitations

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**A/N: Yet another chapter…enjoy!**

**Forever and For Always**

Chapter 11- Secrets and Invitations

A week went by in a matter of days. Erik felt really bad that he had went into Christine's personal possessions…but he had to do what he had to do. By the time Tuesday had come, a fresh round of guilt and excitement had played over him. He said good-bye to Christine as usual. He waited for Christine to go inside her house, before he snuck back into the tree house. There the diary lay open. Erik turned on a flashlight and read the date on the page. _September 12, 2006. _This was precisely what he was looking for. Erik began to read.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was the first day of eight grade, hard to believe, right? I wasn't exactly that excited at first, I just expected it to be a normal day, you know, obnoxious boyfriend, old lockers, disgusting lunches, stuff like that. But today, all those things didn't really matter to me. Nothing mattered to me, except for one thing. Erik Destler. He came back! Remember how I said those feelings would return? Well they did! I still have feelings for him…more than a friend. He is so handsome! I think I talked too much though. We were in all the same classes, much to my appeal. Then at the end of the day, he went to Concert Choir auditions with me. We sang a duet with me. He has such a wonderful voice! Before I went home…we almost kissed! But he pulled away…because of Raoul…maybe he doesn't even like me! I was so angry and disappointed. I wish I could tell him how I felt. The only reason I went out with Raoul in the first place is so I could forget about Erik! But obviously I didn't! If only we shared the same emotions, then I would leave Raoul once and for all! Ta-ta for now…_

_Love,_

_Christine_

When Erik was done, he mentally slapped himself for worrying about Raoul. She didn't even like him! He was so ignorant. As Erik walked home, he became determined to win Christine's heart. Well, he had already won hers; he just had to convince her that she won his.

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The next day at school, Erik did everything he could to swoon Christine. It wasn't that hard actually. All he had to do was greet her and she turned beet red. They walked from class to class, chatting about various topics. Sometimes, Erik would tell her a joke. She would laugh. Her laughs seemed to make the world a better place.

The next day at lunch, Christine invited Erik to sit with her at lunch. Erik was nervous at first because he thought that all the popular people would make fun of him.

"Don't worry Erik, nobody will say anything, I'll make sure of it." Christine gave him a reassuring smile and led him to lunch.

When they first sat down, people gave Erik odd looks, even Raoul looked angry.

"Christine, why is _he_ sitting here?"

"Raoul, may I speak to you in private?"

"Fine." He stood up. Christine led him outside of the lunch room.

"Listen Raoul, Erik is my friend. I understand that you two have had your differences in the past, but can you please just forget about them, for now, for me?"

Raoul gave Christine a warm smile before saying,

"Whatever you want."

"Thank you so much!" Christine gave Raoul a tight hug, before walking back into the cafeteria.

"So, Erik…" Raoul said. "Are you doing anything for Halloween this year?"

"Nope." Erik said timidly.

"Then do you want to come to a party, at my crib on Halloween Night?"

"Sure I guess so."

"You don't have to wear a costume or anything, just come."

"Ok." Christine leaned over and whispered to Erik,

"I would wear a costume if I were you. I am. And he probably just wants you to stick out. Wear a costume."

Lunch went pretty easy from there for Erik. Raoul was being moderately friendly. Erik knew that he was only being nice so Christine would like him more. But he really didn't care. Erik knew who Christine liked. And it most certainly wasn't Raoul de Chagny.


	12. Shopping Sprees and Schemes

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does. I also don't own the Little Mermaid, Walt Disney does.

**AN Thank you to all of my great reviewers. I love all of your reviews. Now for Chapter 12...Read and Review! I have this really pretty saying that someone told me. If you want to see more, go to my profile and check it out**

_**Erik gave Christine five roses. Four of them were real and the last one was fake. When Erik gave her the roses, he said,**_

"_**I will love you until the fake rose dies."**_

**Sorry, that's my spur of the moment for you.**

Forever and For Always

Chapter 12- Shopping Sprees and Schemes

The breezy days of September came to an end. October swooped in faster than a hawk. The date was October 16. There was only about two weeks left to Halloween. Neither Erik nor Christine had a costume yet. That Friday after school, Christine invited Erik to come buy a costume with her for the party.

"Come on Erik, it will be fun!"

"I hate Halloween." He tried to make his point clear, but obviously Christine didn't want to accept it.

"Oh don't be silly! You love Halloween. Repeat after me…"

"Nope…if I go and get a costume for the party with you, do I have to love Halloween?"

"No…not really. But let's go before the store closes."

"Jeez, what time does it close on a Friday? It is only four o'clock."

"Oh, well I forgot the time. Let's just go."

By the time Christine and Erik had made their way to the store, the sun was beginning to set. They walked in. It was like a ghost town. Everyone had better places to be on a Friday than to be here, everyone except for Erik and Christine obviously. They began rummaging through hangers and closets full of costumes. Erik was having no luck. Neither was Christine. After about a half hour Christine found a costume.

"Erik I think that I found something."

"What is it?"

"I think it is stupid though. It's called, an "Angel of Music". I have no clue what that's supposed to be or look like, but there is nothing else here, unless I want to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid."

"Well try it on."

Christine walked into the nearest dressing room and put her costume. She walked over to the mirror and peeked a look at herself. She groaned.

"Erik…?"

"Yeah…?"

"Do you have a camera?"

"Nope…"

"Good." She emerged from the dressing room, fully dressed in her costume.

"Oh Erik, I look so ugly!"

In Erik's opinion though, she looked far from ugly. The whitish gold gown the flowed down her body, looked amazing on Christine, the sparkling wings and tiara made her truly look like an angel. The thing that caught Erik's eye the most though was the chain glittering on her neck. _Does she ever take that off? _He asked himself. He answered his question almost immediately. _Of course not, she's in love with you, remember?_

"Christine, you look far from ugly. That costume looks amazing on you!"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you Erik. I mean for coming and everything. It means a lot to me." She smiled at him, and his heart seemed to have skipped a beat.

"Oh…no problem."

Christine went back into the dressing room and put her regular clothes on. She came back out holding her costume.

"Now we have to find you a costume Erik."

Erik gave an annoyed grumble, but let Christine be happy.

"Fine, but you're picking it."

"Ok…"

After shuffling through the clothing racks, Christine came up with two costumes.

"Sorry if you don't like them. This is all that I could find."

"What are they?"

"Well one of them is a male belly dancer. I am hoping you don't want that one." She began to laugh hysterically.

"What is the other one?"

"It's called The Phantom of the Opera. I have no idea what that is, I thought you might want it because the costume requires a mask, and you already have one."

"Let me try that one on then."

Erik went into the dressing room. The costume included a long black cape, a frilly white shirt, black pants that were way too tight for his taste, and a black fedora. He tipped the fedora over his eyes to make himself look scarier. Erik didn't even bother looking in the mirror. He knew he probably looked terrible anyways.

When he came out of the dressing room, Christine's eyes widened.

"Oh…my…god!" She whispered.

In Christine's opinion, Erik looked a lot like a Phantom. He looked very mysterious, with the fedora tipped over. Christine's eyes lingered at his shirt. The V-Neck shape that it had exhibited a portion of Erik's chest. Christine blushed, reminding herself that she shouldn't be looking there.

"Do I look stupid Christine?" He spun his cape, making Christine giggle.

"No, of course not! This costume looks as if it had been made for you!"

"Are you just saying that so you can get home and watch American Idol, or are you telling the truth?"

"Ummm…well, I kind of want to go home, but the costume looks great on you. Can we go now?"

"Ok, Ok, let me change."

They both checked out, and left the store, leaving Christine just enough time to watch American Idol, and giving Erik the chance to conspire out his plan to get back at Raoul.


	13. Halloween Night: Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**A/N Sorry it took so long to update. Anyways, I think that you will all enjoy this chapter. Please Review! My goal is to get at least 85 reviews by the end of the day. If I do get that many reviews, I will give an honorable mention next chapter for them. ENJOY!**

**The way that Erik and Christine are dressed at the party, is conservative, if you have seen Mean Girls, then you would know what I mean. All the girls dressed up pretty much like miniature playboy bunnies and the guys were all either sports moguls or something else cool. No black capes or dresses that go beneath your knee allowed sort of! This chapter is very short, but I promise the next one will**

Chapter 13- Halloween Night: Part I

It was finally October 31. The day that everyone had been waiting for had come. Christine and Erik walked together to Raoul's house. When they walked in the door, they came into a party that they weren't exactly expecting. All the girls were dressed up in lingerie with some kind of hat. It made them pretty much look like playboy bunnies. That was a cheap excuse for a costume! The boys were barely dressed up. They wore football jerseys and put on their sports gear, and said they were the player on the back of their jersey.

Erik and Christine felt extremely uncomfortable. They pretty much hung around in the corner and chatted. Raoul was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Christine's phone began to vibrate.

"Oh, it's my mom! I'll be right back Erik."

"Okay, do you know where the bathroom is in this house?"

"No clue, check upstairs."

Christine and Erik parted their ways. Finding the stairs was hard enough. Well, impossible actually. Raoul's family was so wealthy, that they didn't have staircases in their house, they had elevators! After finding the elevator, Erik went to the second floor of the house.

It was much more silent than it was downstairs. Erik did find a bathroom, luckily and was about to walk in when he heard two voices in the next room over.

His curiosity got the best of him. He stuck over to the next room to find Raoul and some girl in their grade in a rather intimate lip-lock. Erik snuck away as quietly as he could hope that no one would see him. The urge to urinate suddenly disappeared. He had to talk to Christine.


	14. Halloween Night: Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN- Update Time! I won't be writing much this weekend and I am taking a break because it is Easter. But I promise there will be another chapter or two before I leave you all. I promised a longer chapter so here it is. I think this makes up for all the really short chapters that this story has had.**

Chapter 14- Halloween Night: Part II

Erik had the urge to hit something. He wanted to hit something really hard. He also wanted to scream. He wanted to tell Christine what he had just witnessed. But it wasn't his place. Or was it?

Two voices in his head were controlling him. One was telling him that he should tell Christine what happened so she could break up with Raoul and have Christine to himself. The other voice was telling him that he shouldn't tell Christine what happened because if he did, then Christine might not believe him anyway, and the damage would have already been done. Then Erik decided. He wouldn't tell Christine directly. He would lead her to Raoul, and she could see for herself.

Erik rushed back downstairs to meet a very impatient Christine.

"My god Erik! What in the world took you so long?"

"Nothing. I just had trouble finding the bathroom."

"Oh…I see."

"Do you need to use the bathroom? If you want, I could show you where it is."

"Erik I am fine, thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Is it just me or is this party just a little bit boring? I mean, we're not even wearing the right costume. All the other girls are dressed…wait a minute…they're not even dressed…well barely! You want to just go? Because I am willing to if you want. We could go rent a movie or something and go back to your house."

The way that all the girls at the party were dressed would have made any guy's day. It would have been like falling in love all over again, with thirty girls! But Erik only had eyes for one of the girls there, and she as standing right in front of him.

"Yeah sure let's do that. But first, are you sure you don't have to go to the bathroom?"

"Yes Erik, I am sure. You seem to have an interest in my bladder requirements lately."

Erik just snickered. He would tell her sooner or later. Erik was almost one-hundred percent sure that she would break up with him eventually without him telling her what happened.

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When they arrived at the video store, Erik and Christine split up. While Christine frantically searched for a movie, Erik stocked up on as much candy as he could hold. When Erik was done, he looked for Christine. She was looking under romantic comedies. _Go figure. _Christine was holding a bunch of DVDs in her hand, while she was still searching the shelves.

"Well, I got the candy covered. I think I filled up two bags full of popcorn, lollipops, chocolate, and all that crap that you love to eat. I have ice cream at my house if you want it."

"Is it Chocolate?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're the best Erik!" She swung her arms around him and dropped the movies onto the floor. If somebody just happened to be passing by at the moment, they probably would have thought that they were a new couple in love.

"I know I am. So what movies did you pick? There is no way that I am watching another one of those sappy romantic ones where the guy gets the girl in the end, they are so stupid."

"But…but…" She gave him her puppy dog eyes. Erik knew he could never say no when she gave him that face.

"Fine! But if I have the sudden urge to vomit, don't be surprise if it accidentally lands on you!" Christine started to giggle. Erik loved it when she giggled. He loved it when she hugged him, or when she spoke, or even when she looked at him. Erik especially loved it when Christine blushed, for giving him the hint that she liked him. He loved everything about her. If he were to make a list, it would probably go on forever.

"Ok then…well…since it is Halloween and I asked some girl that passed me by what to watch with my boyfriend………err……I mean friend who is a boy……no wait I mean……my good friend who just happens to be a boy……you know what I mean, right? You're my friend!" Christine began to flush again.

"Yes…I get it…what movie?"

"Well I began to pick some, and the girl told me that the best one of the ones that I had picked was Phantom of the Opera. She told me that she knows a guy just like you who hates sappy movies. She said that it's not sappy, and she said it made her boyfriend…I mean friend who is a boy, cry."

"Well then that guy must have emotional problems. I'm only watching it for you, you know."

"Yeah, I know…you must love me so much!" She stated as she began to walk towards the check-out.

"More than you could ever imagine, Christine."

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The second Erik and Christine arrived home, they set to work. Erik put all of the junk foods together in the kitchen, while Christine helplessly tried to figure out how to work the DVD player.

"Need some help with that?" Erik's older brother Michael was standing in the doorway, sniggering at Christine's attempts.

"Help would be nice."

Michael came over and turned the DVD player on. She handed him the disc, and he inserted it in the machine.

"You know…I am really surprised Christine…"

"What is so surprising?"

"I am so surprised that Erik hasn't asked you out yet."

"What do you mean? He only likes me as a friend."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Ever since the first day of school, he has been coming home, telling me how he falls more in love with you every day, and wishes you would break up with…what's his name again? Oh yes, Raoul de Chagny, he wants you to break up with him so he can round up the courage to ask you out."

"Really…" Christine couldn't believe this. All her wishes were finally coming true; she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Well…if you don't believe me, why don't you ask him?" Michael got up and left the room, leaving Christine in shock. A few minutes later, Erik came in balancing almost five pounds of junk food in his arms.

Christine wasn't going to be made a fool of herself by asking Erik that question. Instead, she patted the seat next to her as a gesture for Erik to sit down next to her.

For the next hour, things went pretty well, Christine could not believe how she had the same last name as the main character, same with Raoul, and with Erik, except that Christine had to admit that it was pretty odd that Erik was the Phantom of the Opera, and had the same deformity, and wore his mask on the same side of his face, and all. But all in all, both sides seemed to be enjoying the movie.

About halfway through the movie, Christine scooted closer to Erik. She laid her head on his shoulder. She could smell his cologne. He shifted an arm around her shoulders; and they watched the rest of the movie like that.

At the very end, Erik felt a wet spot forming on his shoulder.

"Christine, what's wrong?"

She sniffed.

"Nothing, it's just…the phantom……he deserved so much more…and he had to watch Raoul take Christine away from him. Erik, he wanted her so much more, more than life itself! He deserved her……it's just so sad!" She began to sob into Erik's chest. He didn't know what else to do. He began to rub her back, and then he kissed her on her head. She looked up at him and smiled. They were so close! Erik could see the teardrops on her eyelashes. He could have kissed her on the lips. But of course, he didn't. Christine then rested back in his arms for a while before, Erik told Christine that she should be going.

Christine looked disappointed for some reason, Erik knew why. He didn't kiss her! He cursed himself for not telling Christine how he felt. He knew that Michael already told her, he could hear him from the kitchen. Erik just couldn't hear nor see Christine's reaction. He would confess his feelings to her; he just needed the perfect moment to do it.

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**AN- Okay all you E/C shippers…you can out your pitchforks down for a moment and review……they are not exactly together yet, but they might as well be, you know?**


	15. Good News

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it, Gaston Leroux does. I also do not own the song Silent Night; I have no idea who does either.

**A/N I hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review…please…I have chapters 16 and 17 written already, but I will only post them is I get up to 10 reviews for this chapter…which shouldn't be so hard. Okay E/C shippers…I think that it is time for you to put away your pitchforks and give me a hug.**

**I am beginning to become a better writer, and my chapters are becoming longer. This chapter isn't that long but I think it will satisfy you, ErikMySweet, and Mouse in the Opera House.**

Chapter 15- Good News

It was now December 24, 2006. Snow was lightly falling onto the ground. It was Christmas Eve. It was also the night of the Concert Choir's recital. Although Christine knew she was going to do well, she was still a little jittery about singing her solo. She was afraid that she was going to mess up big time. But with lots of encouragement from her mother and Erik, she felt, excited, and that she could do anything if she tried.

Christine's solo was the last one of the night. She stepped up to center stage. An announcement filled the auditorium.

"Our last and final soloist of the night will be Christine Daae, singing, _Silent Night_."

Christine took in a deep breath in and began to sing.

"…_Christ the savior is born…Christ the savior is born."_

The moment that she finished singing, the audience burst into applause. Christine was proud of herself.

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As Erik and Christine headed home from the recital, both were tired and happy about their performances. They walked home from the school, laughing, and singing annoying Christmas carols. Both were jubilant. Snow was still lightly falling down from the sky, and a full moon was visible beyond the clouds. This was it. This was Erik's chance to tell Christine how he felt.

"Christine?"

"Hmmm…."

"Do you want to go for a walk with me, around the park?"

"That sounds wonderful Erik!" And so they did.

As they strolled through the park, a tensioned silence filled the air. Erik was about to tell Christine his feelings when a tiny voice filled the air.

"I broke up with him."

"_Finally!" _He blurted aloud. _Whoops. Christine wasn't supposed to hear that._

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**AN Now it's time for the party. Get rid of you pitchforks, ladies and gentlemen, because its just going to get better. But first you have to review.**


	16. The Perfect Moment

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the character in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN- Now that those pitchforks are safely hidden from all of you… (grabs a remaining pitchfork from a fop-shipper and tosses it aside.)…I can now continue my story. Please review…I like reviews…**

Chapter 16- The Perfect Moment

"What do you mean, finally?"

"Well…err…you see…I have an explanation." Now it was Erik's turn to be embarrassed.

"Let's just forget about it."

"Ok…so why did you break up with him."

"Because I wasn't being fair to him, I couldn't go out with him if I wanted to be with someone else."

"I am just taking a lucky guess that it's me."

At first, Christine just gave Erik a horrified look. How did he know? Then Erik spoke up again.

"Why didn't you just tell me Christine?"

"I……I was afraid that if I told you how I felt, and you didn't feel the same, then you wouldn't be my friend anymore. I know it sounds really immature and all…but I was going to tell you eventually and I figured…"

Erik cut her off.

"Christine, if I were to kiss you right now, what would you do?"

"I wouldn't kiss you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know who I am kissing." She stated.

"You know who I am…it's me Erik."

"That's not what I mean. Your mask. We have been friends for almost nine years now and I still have no clue what you really look like."

"But Christine..."

"No. I am serious...just take it off, if I truly wanted to be with you, then I wouldn't care. And I know that I won't."

"Fine." Erik took off his mask for Christine, slowly and begrudgingly. He waited for Christine to say something,.

To be honest, Christine didn't think that it was ugly. She didn't think that it was repulsive. She didn't find it disturbing. In fact, Christine respected him more because he had taken off his mask..._for her._

"So...what do think? How do you feel?"

"I feel the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Erik, ask me that question again."

"What...Oh yeah...Christine, if I were to kiss you now, what would you do?"

Christine just smiled.

"I would kiss you back."

And so they did. Erik's timing was perfect. Light snow fell from the sky, lingering in Christine's chestnut curls for a moment before melting away. A full moon could be seen, shimmering on the half-frozen lake that they were standing next to. It seemed like forever, until they parted.

"Christine, did you know that that was my first kiss, ever?"

"I had a feeling about that. It's mine too."

"What do you mean? Haven't you ever kissed Raoul?"

"No. I never did, because I wanted my first kiss to be with someone that I had feelings for."

"Then why did you go out with Raoul in the first place?"

"I did it...to try to forget about you. No matter what I did...how hard I tried...it was impossible. Everywhere I looked, I couldn't get my mind off of you, you were everywhere." Christine could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"So I am guessing that we are officially going out now."

"I guess so." Erik gave her a surprising peck on the lips.

"This is the second best day of my life." Said Erik.

"What was the best day of your life?"

"The day I met you."

* * *

**AN- AWWW...how fluffy! You know what else is fluffy? All the sweet cotton candy that all my reviewers give me for getting Erik and Christine together! Please review. It gets even better. Tomorrow is Christmas, did you forget?** _They'll be snow **and **mistletoe, and presents by the tree._


	17. Snow and Mistletoe

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.

**AN: I am so so so so so soooo sorry about the big gap this story has had, I have been so busy lately and can't find time to write, but I will update more often for all of my fans. Thank you to all of my regular reviewers I got a whole lot of reviews for that last Chapter….I think around 15…(hey that's a lot for me!) Anyways, I have thought hard on this chapter and honestly, I still think that it is really stupid. No Raoul this chapter, but I will throw him into the mix later. I tried to make this chapter as long as possible, because of my failure to update.**

**Okay so here we go….just something I learned from another website….did any of you notice that Christine's tombstone said Countess de Chagny when Raoul is a Vicomte…suggesting that maybe she was meant to be the unfaithful countess in Il Muto, because while she married Raoul, she still loved Phantom/Erik. Okay I better start this chapter already before I start ranting.**

_Forever and For Always_

Chapter 17- Snow and Mistletoe

Christine thought Christmas could not get any better, but it did. Erik came over her house sometime in the late morning. They ate and talked and laughed. Erik was very gidddy about something, and constantly kept is hand in his pocket, as if he were guarding something. Besides Christine's suspicion, they still enjoyed themselves likewise.

A large portion of the day Erik and Christine spent cuddling in front of the warm fire, and drinking hot cocoa, and singing Christmas carols. Every once in a while, Erik would mention how beautiful Christine was, causing her to blush. It always made Erik smile. As a matter a fact, everything about Christine made him smile. He loved everything about her. Her pristine sweet voice, her sparkling eyes, her compassionate personality, the list could go on forever. Erik had an idea.

"Christine, do you want to go for a walk?"

"What if it's snowing?"

"Come on! It never snows in California!"

"Oh Yeah, right." Christine still thought there could be a chance of snow, but decided to go anyways to keep Erik happy.

One had to admit though; it was pretty cold for the wintertime. Probably the coldest is had ever been. Erik wrapped his arm around Christine's shoulders to keep her warm, while Christine laid her head on his shoulders, well, because she wanted to.

It was an outcast day. The sky was a light shade of gray. No sun shone through the clouds. After about an hour Christine suggested that they better get going. As they walked, small white specks began to fall from the sky.

"Hey Erik, look!" The both looked up to find over a million white snowflakes falling down on their heads. They raced home, soaking wet and shivering. Erik and Christine then took their normal spot at the fireplace, trying to defrost their frostbitten hands.

At around five P.M a winter storm warning was issued for the area. Families were cautioned to stay in the house. The weatherman said that it is snowing four inches an hour, way above the total average for the year. Nobody was really scared, they were just surprised at this sudden weather change.

"Hey Erik?" The heat of the fire was making her very drowsy. She had to ask him this question just before she fell asleep.

"Yeah?"

"You know that I have family coming over for Christmas dinner, right?"

"No." Erik had a feeling where this conversation was going..

"Well, they are. Do you think that they are going to like you?"

"Well, I don't know, do you think they would like to see me? I mean, I only wear a mask."

"They don't care about those types of things. Just as long as you're nice and polite, they'll adore you."

"Alright. But how many people are we talking about?"

"Well, I have about ten cousins. four girls and six boys. A lot of them are our age. Some of them are really young. You'll get used to them after a while. Then there is my Aunt Lily and Uncle Bob and Aunt Melanie and Uncle Larry. I think that Bob and Lily will like you. My Uncle Larry has an odd sense of humor though, so watch out."

"Okay Christine, I'm not that worried, you know!"

"Oh okay." Christine knelt back onto Erik's leg and fell asleep. Around six-o'clock, Anita woke Christine up. She had already put Erik to work putting up decorations.

"Okay Christine, guests are coming in an hour. I want you to go to the basement and put up all these decorations." She shoved a bunch of assorted decorations, including tinsel, mistletoe, and some Merry Christmas signs into Christine's hands and shooed her off. After about twenty minutes of decorating, guests began to arrive.

"Oh Christine, he's so handsome!" Ever since, they had arrived, Christine's girl cousins had been gushing about Erik.

"I wish he were my boyfriend!" said one of her older cousins.

"When did you meet him? Where?"

There were way too many questions for one person to answer at once. Christine told them the whole story. She told them about how Erik and she used to be best friends when they were little, then how they were separated and the necklace that Erik gave her. Christine showed it to them. All the girls started screaming in delight. Then Christine told them about how when Erik came back she had a crush on them, but didn't tell anybody. When she finally got to the point of last night when she kissed him, the girls couldn't take it anymore.

"Is he a good kisser?" Christine nodded. Everyone giggled. This little rendezvous was interrupted by Christine's mother calling everyone for dinner.

There was tons of food. More than you could imagine. Piles of turkey, chicken, ham, puddings, cakes, potatoes, and salads of every kind were on the table.

After stuffing their faces with food, all of Christine's cousins retreated to the basement. Christine and Erik took a seat next to each other on the couch. Out of no where one of Christine's cousins said,

"Chrissie, you gotta kiss Erik now!"

"Why?"

"Well why don't you look up?" And there, hanging in its glory was a sprig of mistletoe. Christine blushed. Erik looked at his feet. All of their cousins were now rooting them on to kiss.

"Do we have to?" Christine pleaded with her cousins, but it was no use.

Erik was sick and tiring of this taunting. He turned towards Christine grabbed her face and kissed her on the lips. They parted, leaving Christine breathless. Everyone was silent now. Christine and Erik were lost in each other's eyes. So they kissed again, except this time, it was slower and more graceful, like one that you would see in a romance movie.

When they parted, all of Christine's cousins began to cheer. It was actually quite stupid but they didn't care. It was Christmas, love was in the air. Or is that spring?

"Presents!" Uncle Larry shouted.

Erik remembered the fair warning that Christine gave her before the party started. He tried to sneak upstairs as stealthy as possible but he caught him.

"Hey Erik wanna hear a joke from your dear old Uncle Larry?"

"Umm…no thanks."

"Well that's too bad. What do you call a fish with 2 knees?" A two-knee fish! Get it?"

"No not really, Listen, I got to go. I think Christine's calling me." Erik was growing extremely impatient.

"Oh and there's one more thing I gotta tell you. Christine is my favorite niece, so don't you dare go breaking her heart. Or you'll hear it from me. Got it?"

"Don't worry."

Larry and Erik went upstairs together. Everyone was waiting for them. Some of the smaller children had already begun tearing apart presents. Since Erik wasn't really a part of this family he sat and waited. After that, one by one, people began to leave. By 10:30 PM only Erik, Christine, and Anita were there. Christine and Erik were curled up by the fire about to exchange gifts.

"Christine you got me a gift? You didn't have to!"

"I know, I wanted to…here take mine first."

"Okay…what is it?" He said, shaking the box curiously.

"You'll see…"

Inside the box was a bow tie. It was a very strange gift for someone to give.

"Not to be mean or anything Christine, but what am I going to use a bow tie for?"

"That…" Christine began "Is the bow tie you will be wearing when we go to the Sadie Hawkins Dance in February."

Erik laughed. Christine must have thought about this gift a lot. It isn't about the size of the gift that counts. But the thought that is put into it.

"Here open my gift." Erik commanded.

Inside Christine's box were two front row seats to go see Christine's Broadway musical, Phantom of the Opera.

"Oh my God Erik!! You didn't have to do this!!! Who's the other seat for?"

"Whoever you choose." Erik was hoping that it would be him.

"I'm going with you know so you can stop worrying."

"How do you do that?" Erik wondered.

"Do what?"

"Read my mind so well."

"Oh…well I guess it comes naturally to me since I know you so well."

"Ha-ha very funny." Erik said in his dry sense of humor.

"I know. I'm a regular stand up comedian."

After a while, Christine and Erik got very drowsy. Before they fell asleep though, Erik spoke.

"Christine……" He whispered.

"Hmmmm….."

Erik took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

"I love you."

"ok……….WHAT?"

"I love you Christine."

Her face melted and after kissing him on the cheek she said,

"Oh Erik, I love you too."

They both fell asleep next to the fire with smiles plastered on their faces.

Anita walked by them and smiled knowingly, she was going to wake up Erik and tell him to go home, but they were fine the way they were. This truly was a very Merry Christmas.

**AN- Was that a good enough Christmas for you all? Please review..**


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